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I felt naked withoutan anchor, theAnd he was full of surprises When I’d first seen hihty Mr Darcy, I had been close to the truth He called himself wicked, and I’d seen him kill But I’d also seen him be fair, kind, brave, merciful, and loyal For a monster, there was ot to his physical presence, which was pressing against me in the loveliest way

For a while, I even drifted into a little nap, held safe in his ar hooves and endless, grassy ht to open allop eased into a lope, and then ether as our mount dropped down into a trot Cri that kept me on horseback

"Are we there yet?" I asked muzzily

Criminy chuckled "Not even close," he said

19

Once I had wiped the sleep and dust fro up on either side of the dirt road It looked like a host town in the Wild West False-fronted buildings faced the street, painted in odd, muted tones Mauve, powder blue, mustard yellow A few people bustled furtively between buildings but not nearly asshades of gray and black, which was unusual in Sang, from what I’d seen

Criminy steered our round on the edge of town She switched her tail and danced, looking hopefully fro that her unwanted ood behavior He slid off and helpedand clipped Erris’shorse threw her head, snorted, and tried to rear, but she was surely stuck

Patting her neck, Criminy said, "Sorry, lass It’s only for a short while You’ll be free again soon," and then he tossed the boy a coin

When he looked up eagerly to catch the copper, the boy’s open collar and overly pointy grin told me that he, like the urchins at the cathedral, was a Bludman With a lifetime of movies and books firmly pounded into my head, I still couldn’t believe that Bludmen could bear children in this world That this little lad would grow up knowing nothing but blood--no cookies, no ice creaht and innocent, even if he wasn’t drea of penny candy

"Thankee kindly, sir," he said "Will you want the inn, then?"

Criminy looked at the sun It was late afternoon, and the sky was the dull, bruised lavender of the milk in the bottoone

"Is there only one?" Criminy asked the boy "And where are the Coppers?"

"Feverish is a se, sir The Coppers cohton We’ve just the one inn And this is our only tie-up"

With an understanding save the boy another coin

"I’ll take you there, sir"

The boy trotted ahead of us into town, and I noticed that his clothes had been many times mended, the breeches patched in sis were in need of paint--that hy they were such strange colors They were faded It was a poor town, a lonely outpost before the big city on the sea

Stopping in front of the only three-story building, the boy said, "There you are, sir And please, don’t ard They drained his wife last year, and it puts hiht reen storefront The sign showed a black diaard Inn below in heavy, serious script Not thename for a hotel

Cri as we entered A fluffy white cat sat on the counter, eyeing us disdainfully Lucky creature--without Pinkies about, the bludrats must have left Feverish alone The room was sparse but well kept, the floors spotless and the wavy, green glass sparkling in the s An old grae It felt like a funeral parlor

A ray suit appeared fronity above a frilly tea-stained jabot froard?" Criminy asked with a stately bow I’d never seen him so deferential

"We do, lad," the rave "One roo so bits of itself wash away in the rain Just being near him made me feel hopeless

"One, please, sir For ard said, pinning his soulful eyes on me "That creature is not thy wife But one rooe those who succuive me, sir"

The old Bludster But I see you remember a time when it wasn’t so Born or er than you look," Master Haggard said "I was born as well, 1438 Right here, when the county seat was Bludshire Do you reed to the prey?"

"I do, sir A lovely place, all parks and springs and gardens And the opera and dancing every night"